Catch a Tiger by the toe
by castlenova
Summary: Post-Cuffed. Castle texts Kate after almost being eaten by a tiger. What will our favourite duo say to each other? Rated for safety and potential future chapter. NOW COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Beckett had barely set her foot inside the door when her phone chimed to tell her that she had a text message waiting for her. She smirked, having a pretty good idea of who would be texting her this evening.

_I__ turned__ on __the __TV__ and__ '__Eye __of __the __Tiger__' __is __playing __on __like __every__ channel._

She laughed loudly at his message, peeling her leather jacket off before moving to the fridge to get a bottle of water. At the last second her hand detoured and she reached above for the bottle of red wine she knew was there. Castle had given it to her a few months back after solving a particularly difficult case. She put the bottle on the counter while she typed. Damn smart phone required two hands.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle had just finished recounting the tale to Alexis when the phone buzzed. He looked at the screen and smirked.

"So let me get this straight, you spent hours handcuffed to Detective Beckett and you didn't at least make out? What a waste of a fantasy Dad." Alexis said and Castle looked up from the phone, a look of horror etched across his face. He looked at his daughter.

"Oh come on Dad. I watch TV, I know the deal with handcuffs. And not in that sense," she added hastily. Castle swallowed, seemingly happy with her reply.

"It didn't really come up. At the start we were trying to figure out what was happening, then we thought we were in _Hostel,_ and then we were kinda busy trying not to get eaten by a tiger. It was kinda a busy day," he quipped and she sighed, throwing her hands up to heaven.

"You know I'm giving up on you two," she moaned before heading for the stairs, bidding him goodnight as she did. Castle smirked and opened Beckett's message on his phone. He smirked.

_Of __course __it __is. __There__'__s __a__ fight __on__ tonight. __If __it __makes __you __feel __any __better__ '__Tiger __Feet__' __was __playing__ in __the __lobby __of __my __building __when __I __came __in._

He laughed aloud at that and quickly thumbed in a response, one handed. He knew Beckett had only recently gotten a funky touch screen phone and he expected it to take a few minutes before her next message came through. He headed for the kitchen.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett had poured herself a glass of wine and was sitting on the couch flicking through stations when the text came through. She smiled. She always enjoyed messaging him. He was quick and witty and she found herself smiling at the screen. It had always earned her looks in public places. One old woman sitting opposite her in a coffee shop one day had winked at her and said 'you must really like him'. She had just nodded her head and smiled. It was no lie after all.

_So__ you__'__re __trying __to __tell __me __that __you__ were__ handcuffed __to __Writer __Boy__ for __12 __hours __and __NOTHING __HAPPENED? __Na-uh, __I__'__m__ not __buying __that._

Beckett chuckled. Lanie. She was getting tired of trying to convince Kate about Castle at this stage. She quickly typed in a response, realising only after she'd sent it that a few of the words came out in gibberish but the basic understanding was there.

_I__ am __telling __you, __nothing__ happened. __We __were __being __terrorised__ by __a __tiger __for __Pete__'__s __sake!__ But __seeing__ as__ we__'__re__ on __that __subject, __you __and__ Espo? __Spill._

Kate grinned to herself. Turn is back on her, it was always the best means of defence. At the very least she might just move away from the topic of relationships altogether. She watched as one of the boxers got a knock-out punch in on his opponent before the phone beeped again. This time it was Castle.

_ It's as if the universe is bored and playing practical jokes on us. I bet I find a tiger's head in my bed. My first suspect is Alexis. _

Becket smiled at that before composing a short reply back to him – how had Alexis taken the news that her father had nearly been eaten by a tiger? She had to admit, it would be a hell of a story to tell to their kids. She caught herself before she finished the thought. Good God Kate, stop it, she told herself. The phone beeped again. Lanie this time.

_Oh __please, __reel __in __your __imagination __girl. __If __I__ don__'__t __kill __him__ before __the __end __of __this __month__…_

The message trailed off and Kate had written the reply in her head before it went into the message body, _…__you__'__ll __kiss __him?__ Come __on __Lanie, __you __two __are __perfect __for __each other __and __you __both __want __to __be__ together. __Why __can__'__t __you __see __that?_ She pressed 'send' before thinking about the consequences that such a remark might bring on her. She watched as the MC announced the winner of the fight she'd been watching, a small mid-American, the one she'd seen deliver the killer left hook. She sighed and changed the channel. She didn't feel much in the mood for the fights tonight. She flicked through until she found some cheesy comedy to watch. She didn't know what it was but it was simply and she could follow it even though it was half over.

She jumped slightly as her phone beeped. Castle. Lanie was probably wording her reply just right.

_She__ wasn__'__t __thrilled__ at __the __idea __that __she__'__d __have __to __explain __how __her __dad __became __tiger __fodder __but __said __that __she __could __live __with __the __whole __inheritance __gig __so __all __in __all __I__'__d __say __she __took __it __pretty __well.__How __are __you __holding __up?_It was the first message that issued genuine concern even though she knew every correspondence tonight was laced with the invite to open up if she wanted to.

She sent a quick reply back to him just as Lanie's text came in. She finished sending the message to Castle and opened the one from her friend.

_Kate,__ of __all __the __people __to __say __that __to __me,__ it__'__s __pretty __rich __coming __from__ you! __Because__ you__'__re __either __blind, __or __stupid __if __you __don__'__t __see __what__'__s __right __in __front __of __YOU._The next messages happened in quick succession.

_Lanie, we're not getting into this now. I spent today being chased by a tiger…._

_Girl, when are you going to wake up and see what's going on? Life is too short to keep people at arm's length. Especially when you know how you mean to him and he to you._

_Lanie, it's not that simple…_

_Yes, it is. Just say it Beckett, you're in love with him._

_Whoa, whoa, whoa. No one said anything about love._

_Oh come on Kate. It's ridiculous, you're ridiculous. And have you any idea how hard it is to type 'ridiculous' on a touchpad? Twice?_

_Technically, three times._

_Not funny Kate. Come on, just admit, you love him. You want to do the dirty with him..._

Beckett sighed loudly, annoyed both at the speed of Lanie's replies, the lovey-dovey music and script coming from her, as it currently stood, ill picked TV station. Her answers were weak, she knew that but that still didn't mean she wanted a text heart-to-heart with Lanie about it. She wasn't ready for that, she wasn't… The phone hadn't beeped for a few minutes. Maybe Lanie was leaving her alone.

Then suddenly, the phone beeped again. Beckett growled, highly irritated as she punched the touch screen and keyed in her response. Damn it, if she was going down, she might as well give Lanie something to say in her aftermath.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle almost choked on the lasagne he'd warmed up when the text came in. His eyes widened as he read it, the remnants of his dinner spewing from his mouth onto the plate beneath. He was glad it was the last piece. He dumped it in the sink as he read the message again.

_Ok,__ yes, __fine.__I__'__m __in __love __with __Richard __Castle __and __I __want __to __get __down __and __dirty __with __him __in __the __break__ room __of __the __precinct __just __so __every one __can __see__ how __right __they__ were __when __I__ was __too __dumb __to __see __it.__Happy?_

Castle didn't know what to do. So he replied.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Kate scowled at the phone as it beeped. She seriously contemplated turning it off but it had been a few minutes since she'd sent the text to Lanie and she wanted her post-mortem. What she got was the beginnings of a small heart attack.

_Huh?_

What was he saying huh to? Her eyes widened suddenly as she scrolled through her sent items and her blood ran cold.

"Oh God…" she winced and the phone buzzed again. It was a tag-on to his message.

_Should I come over or would you prefer to just talk about it? I am a writer after all. ;-)_

Despite the horrendous embarrassment, she had to laugh at the winking smiley he'd added onto that message. Always the joker she thought as she considered how the hell she was supposed to explain this. Her thoughts broke again when the phone chimed.

_Kate? Is everything ok?_

She smiled at that. First the confusion, then the ego and then, as always, his concern for her. Who the hell was she kidding? There wasn't a single word of untruth in that message she'd accidentally sent to him. She grinned and typed her reply.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle smirked at the reply. He was sitting in his study now, laptop open, his feet on the desk. He had to admit he was quite enjoying his evening though he was curious and worried about how Beckett was going to try explaining that text.

_I__'__m __going __to __kill __Lanie._ He smiled. So she and Lanie had been having a heart to heart. Or maybe Lanie was just lecturing. The latter was probably more likely he decided. There was a tone of exasperation in the message she'd sent.

_Should__ I __go __to __hers__ instead?_He knew she'd know that he was joking. It was a throwback to his insistence on staying to protect her when the serial killer was on the loose. It took her only a second to reply.

_Oh__ come __on__ Castle, __we __both __know__ I __could __kill __you __with __my __bare __hands._He nodded his head at that, thinking for a moment before keying in a reply.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett bit her lip at the reply he sent through.

_True. Anyway, I'm more interested in what use you were thinking of putting those bare hands to a few moments ago…._

She smirked. The ellipsis, he was goading her. He was daring her to reply. Or maybe not to reply. Maybe that was what he expected, her not to reply and just to give the excuse that she'd fallen asleep or something when they met in work that next day. She let her lip loose from between her teeth. She'd be damned if she was going to let him win this one.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle was glad he'd no liquids nearby when her reply came through. He'd have destroyed his laptop for sure and possibly scalded himself if they'd been hot.

_- Have you forgotten what I said about the next time?_

The next round of messages came through at a breakneck speed. Castle decided that there was nothing like a healthy game of text flirting to teach Beckett how to use her new phone.

_I didn't realise the next time was going to be literally hours later._

_Well, as Lanie keep saying to me, life's too short, why wait?_

_Always liked Lanie. Always. Smart girl._

_So are you coming?_

_Kate, I know I'm a stickler for the written word but that generally takes a little more than a text message…_

_No, you idiot. Are you coming over?_

_Give me twenty minutes. Ten if you agree to shelve all the speeding tickets I could potentially wrack up…_

_Stick to twenty. Would be careless not to practice some level of safety tonight…_

_Oh dear Jesus._

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett smirked at his last text. It was both easy and tremendously fun to wind him up. What she hadn't thought about was what she'd just initiated and whether she was really ready for it or not. It had started as a game, a decision to not let Castle get one up on her. And it had turned into her literally getting up on him. She closed her eyes before opening them and sending another text. The phone beeped straight away. It was Lanie.

_- You did what?_

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

_This started out as a bit of post-Cuffed fun and kinda escalated. I think it needs an extra chapter but want to see what people think? It could probably work as a stand alone but what do people want?_


	2. Chapter 2

Kate Beckett paced her living room, fingernails in her mouth, her other hand pushing her hair back out of her face. She'd text Lanie back as soon as she'd replied.

_I don't know, it just slipped out. What the hell have I done?_

She reached down to the coffee table and grabbed the glass of wine she'd poured and downed what was left in it before taking the bottle and refilling it. Maybe if Castle saw it and thought she'd been under the influence his chivalry would ring through and he'd take a step back.

But was that what she really wanted she asked herself then. The boldness that had coursed through her when she'd been sending those messages had excited her. She had smiled and even giggled at the messages he was sending back. No, she had laid her cards on the table now, there was no turning back. Whatever was going on between them was going to be sorted out tonight and that was it. Her phone beeped.

_Sounds to me like something's about to slip IN. What's the problem?_

Beckett grimaced at her friend's remark before responding.

_Did you have to be so blunt about it? I don't know, it's just…it's a huge step._

Beckett cast her mind back to her last therapy session when she'd told her doctor that she was ready to try and live her life properly again. She wondered what he would say now if he knew about these developments. He'd been suggesting for weeks that maybe Castle was the catalyst she needed to get her life on a path that she thought she could be happy on.

But it wasn't that simple, was it? She knew how he felt about her and she knew how she felt about him even if he didn't though she swore he had a pretty good idea after tonight's texting. But what if it all went wrong? They worked so well together and for so long she wasn't sure she could function without him and what if he was forced to leave for whatever reason? She had once believed that she was a cop because of her mother and that was what defined her as a cop. It still did to a certain extent. But she was starting to think that maybe he had become a bigger piece of how defined herself as a cop. What if she fucked that up?

_You don't think you're ready for it? You two have been beating around the bush for nearly four years. _

_I know and it's just…._

Beckett abandoned the message after a few words and opted instead to ring her friend. She should have at least ten minutes before Castle was knocking on her door. She dialed Lanie's number.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

The subject of Beckett and Lanie's conversation meanwhile, was stuck in traffic somewhere on the other side of the city. He'd been backed up for the last five minutes and it was starting to frustrate the hell out of him.

"Oh come on, what the heck is going on?" he roared at nobody. He composed himself as he saw two patrol cops striding past him on the sidewalk. He rolled down his window and yelled.

"Excuse me? Do you know what the hold up is please?" he was only yelling to be heard over the din of traffic. One of them, a young girl about 22 stopped and took a step off the sidewalk so she wouldn't have to shout.

"Just pulled a body out a sewer," she said grimly.

"Oh god…" Castle groaned before a thought struck him, "What precinct am I in?" he asked and the cop looked at him funny, probably wondering if he was high. He shrugged at her as much as if to say, 'funny story but…'

"Eighteenth," she said then and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," he said and she gave him another funny look before turning and walking away after her partner. Rick groaned as he rolled his window back up. This could take a while. He immediately started to look for a window in which to turn.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett was sitting on her couch chatting to Lanie. She hadn't even looked at a clock since they'd started talking. She'd explained to Lanie about her therapy and what she thought might have gone through her head when she decided to send such suggestive responses to his texts (Sex had been Lanie's guess).

"Girl, I've been telling you for frickin' ever that you two are good together. You work. You finish each others' sentences for crying out loud!"

"Yeah." Kate said softly.

"My advice? And quickly because I just got called to a crime scene, just go with it. See what happens. He's got it bad for you Kate and you can be damn sure he will treat you like a princess and you deserve that after everything you've been through."

Kate nodded as she spoke. Her friend was right. She did deserve this. She hadn't even mentioned the fact that when she woke up in the basement that she was disoriented and for a fleeting moment felt incredibly happy lying next to him.

"Thanks Lanie…where's your crime scene?"

"Nah-uh you don't! It's in Eighteenth. I'm covering for one of the girls over there so you can forget forming yourself an escape route. Go with it Kate. And ring me in the morning with details." With that she bid her goodnights to a chuckling Kate Beckett.

No sooner had she hung up on Lanie when she heard the soft knocking on her front door. Taking a deep breath she crossed the room and peered through the peephole seeing a dishevelled and….nervous? looking Castle on the other side. Frowning she turned the handle and stepped back to let him in.

"Hey," he said holding up a bottle of wine and handing it to her. She could guarantee that it probably cost more than her car.

"Thanks Castle, there's one already open," she said as she sidestepped to the kitchen to leave the bottle on the counter and grab a second glass. Castle stood, a little uncomfortable looking before she came back out, handing the glass to him and moving across to the couch.

"I got stuck in traffic, there was a body pulled out of a sewer…." he said quickly and she nodded.

"That must be the one Lanie's got to go to." She said it without thinking and it immediately brought them back to the earlier conversation. Castle sat down on the couch, placing his jacket along the back of it as he did.

"So she's not dead then?" he asked as she handed him a glass of red. Her eyes caught in his and she smirked.

"No. It was technically my fault for not looking at what I was sending and to whom. But…" she trailed off, wondering how she was supposed to do this. How was she supposed to sit next to someone and tell him that the message she'd accidentally sent him was all truth and that she really did want to nail him right then and there? He offered her a way out. Like he always did.

"Beckett, it's fine. We don't have to do this. I had a feeling this would happen, I understand. Let's just drink our wine and relax." He smiled at her and she found herself wondering how he could be so good, so genuine and so understanding when all she seemed to do was turn him down time after time. She didn't know what to say. So she kissed him instead.

Castle was caught completely off guard as he felt her lips slide across his. They were moist and soft from the wine and he found himself completely motionless for a moment before he was able to return the kiss. Beckett didn't allow it to heat up. She pulled back from him and took another deep breath.

"Beckett…"

"I've been in therapy," she blurted out and paused a little too long to make it seem as though she was going to elaborate.

"Is that really the best thing to tell a guy after you've kissed him?" Castle joked and she chuckled, putting her glass down on the table. She turned to face him, tucking one of her legs underneath her.

"Probably not but let me put it in context." He nodded and placed his own glass down on the table just in case she planned to kiss him again. He didn't know how he hadn't lost some of its contents when she'd kissed him a minute ago.

"After I got shot I, I started to rethink a lot of things. I told you some of this in the playground that day…" He nodded and she continued. "Anyway, I went to a therapist and he signed off that I was ok to come back to work so, you know me, I said thanks, took his recommendation and ran…."

She reached forward and took another sip of her wine for courage before replacing it again and continuing.

"After my first case back…after I froze and needed you to pretty much talk me through a take-down, I realised I wasn't right. I was broken and a wreck and scarred and…I called up my therapist and went back to him."

"That's good Kate. It's good that you have someone you can talk to about this stuff, someone with some distance from it. You know I'm always here to listen too right? You know you can tell me anything." He wasn't sure if that was what she needed to be hearing but he couldn't help but tell her anyway. He wanted to remind her that he was there and always would be.

"But that's just it Castle, I couldn't. I couldn't tell you anything. Not then, but I think, finally, I'm ready to now." She felt him shift his weight on the couch, squirm slightly. Damn it, he was just as flighty as she was. She needed to make this good. She placed her hand on his knee and he stilled almost immediately. She looked up, meeting his eyes.

"You're not allowed to get mad," she said and he smirked that smile that she loved on his face, the one that charmed her every single time she saw it. His innocence lived in that smirk, and his goodness.

"I won't. I'd pinky promise but you'd laugh and reject me," he joked and something in that sentence, the last part of it, stuck in her chest. How many times had she rejected him? What if he'd finally had enough? What if this time he rejected her? She didn't let herself think about it. Instead, she dove in.

"I love you too."

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

_Am I evil? Yes, most definitely. I'm sorry this took so long. I was tied up with college and only got to it now. I also was waiting to see what kind of reviews I got because I'm afraid they drive me mad with power! Just kidding. Anyway, as you may have gathered, there'll definitely be one if not two more chapters which will justify the M rating so those waiting for that, fear not. Those who aren't fussed with that sort of thing…eh, read it anyway!_


	3. Chapter 3

Three

Castle had to double take at what she'd just said. First, because holy hell Kate Beckett had just told him that she loved him. That would certainly have been enough to make him kiss her senseless if she hadn't added in that last little word. 'Too'. I love you too. He swallowed hard and let a small sigh escape his mouth, one that she mistook for annoyance.

"Castle, I'm so, so sorry. Please let me explain…"

He held his hand up to stop her and she did, taking a deep breath and waiting for him to explode. She didn't blame him, it was no less than she deserved. If he'd kept something like this from her there was no doubt that she would probably beat him black and blue.

"I'm not mad," he said quietly and she just looked at him.

"Really?" she said in disbelief and that drew a chuckle from him. He shook his head.

"Well, you told me I wasn't allowed to get mad." He shrugged and she shook her head, allowing herself a smirk.

"I said that as a disclaimer more than an order," she admitted and he tilted his head.

"Well, you know me. I'm good at following orders."

She raised her eyebrows at that one and he quickly moved on.

"Besides... I kind of already knew," he said softly, carefully. Her head twisted slightly at that and she raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"What do you mean you knew?" she said, a hint of panic in her voice. He could see the cogs in her mind beginning to turn except one was turning clockwise and the other anticlockwise threatening to explode their progress. He dropped a hand to her knee and shifted his seat so that he was fully facing her, his free arm across the back of the couch. He could reach and touch her hair if he wanted to but he refrained until he was sure it was safe.

"At first I didn't suspect anything. But after I came back, after you talked to me in the playground and a few other things I thought maybe you might have remembered after all."

As she bowed her heard, he let his thumb stroke across her knee and gave it a squeeze with his hand. As she looked up at him, he gave her that dazzling smile he reserved only for her and his family when something good had happened.

"How long have you known?" she suddenly asked. His smile faltered slightly and looked away for a minute.

"Since that moment in the cryogenics chamber. Talking about the great love stories. There was something in your eyes, something about the way you looked at me when you talked about beating the odds…" he shrugged with another small smirk before reaching for his glass of wine while Beckett processed the calendar of events.

"Jeez Castle, that was months ago!"

"Yeah," he replied in a chirpy tone as if it was no big deal.

"You called me out on it our next case and I lied to you…" she suddenly realised, thinking back to that first day on their potential 3XK case that she'd said her memories were 'blank'. She groaned and dropped her head again. She had put this man through hell.

This time he did reach his hand to her hair, letting his fingers run through it, feeling like silk against his skin. His other hand come up from her knee to her chin and tipped it up so he could look her in the eyes.

"Kate. It doesn't matter. It's like the books – the gorgeous, sexy…smoking hot female character doesn't hook up with the lead guy in the first chapter. No matter how ruggedly handsome and charming he is…"

She chuckled at this before he continued.

"It doesn't matter how we got here or how long it took. We're here now, that's the important thing. I love you…but I think you might have known that already yeah?" he teased and she playfully punched him in the stomach before letting him pull her to him.

"I can see it now," she started, "every time we fight you're going to bring up 'the time I pretended not to hear you saying you loved me'."

He caught her eyes in his.

"Damn straight," he whispered before leaning in and finally kissing her. Properly kissing her. Not catching her by surprise undercover, not her catching him by surprise to calm him down. A proper, mutually affected kiss that saw her grant him access to her mouth when he trailed his tongue along her bottom lip.

A soft moan escape from her as his tongue met hers and slowly they twisted and turned around each other, like a slow tango. As the necessity to breathe hit them, they broke apart breathless. Beckett caught his bottom lip between her teeth and he chuckled as she pulled him back with him, her back against the arm of the couch. Her legs draped across his lap and him twisted awkwardly under her to keep his lips to hers. His hand skimmed up the outside of her leg, over the tight leggings that she wore as part of her nightwear. His heart was definitely too fast to be safe. He couldn't have a heart attack at his age could he?

He decided to concentrate on the woman beside him instead of his hypochondria. Her hand was fisted in his shirt and he let his hand run back down her thigh to just above her knee. He moaned as she kissed him again and he started talking to her between kisses.

"Do…you…have…any…idea…how sexy…you are?" Their kisses were becoming more heated now and Castle had found that his strange angle, with her legs over his and his torso twisted almost 90 degrees was doing nothing for him, even if she was doing everything for him. So, mustering up his strength, he broke their latest kiss, shifted his arms underneath her knees and back and stood up, catching her in a damsel grasp.

"Castle, put me down!" she yelped but there was no mistaking the tone of glee in her voice. He grinned down at her.

"Nah-uh. You're up now, you have to let me carry you somewhere. Then I'll put you down." It was a stupid ultimatum he knew but he was willing to bet that she was going to point to that door behind her and to the left. Sure enough, she nodded her head back towards it and he happily strode over, bending so that she could turn the door handle.

He had never been in her bedroom before, though not for lack of trying, innocent but trying none the less. It was simple, much like the rest of her apartment. There was only one bedside table on the right hand side and the rest of the room was taken up by wardrobes and a small dressing table where he noted her makeup and a small jewellery box he presumed she kept her mother's ring and father's watch.

He laid her softly on the bed, glancing quickly to see if she wore either item but they had already been discarded, probably before her bath or shower, which had left her smelling of apples. He wasn't so sure it could be his safe word anymore.

Resting a knee between her legs, he followed her as she backed up the mattress before letting her head fall on a pillow and his mouth came down on hers again. They were both fully clothed but Castle felt so turned on he feared that when he got naked he might spontaneously combust. His hand trailed low along her ribs and slipped under her t-shirt, reaching up between them to her chest. She wore no bra and he was able to tease her nipples with his fingers.

"Jeez Castle, your hands are freezing!" Beckett yelped and he grinned as he used his weight on her centre to hold her down, his other hand reaching up to stroke the hair from her face before he kissed her again. As they broke, he looked down at her, hair splayed across the pillow, lips bruised, a hazy but happy look in her eyes and his breath caught slightly in his throat.

"You are stunning," he said as he brought his hand out from under her shirt, dipping his head instead to kiss her neck, his hand pulling down the front of her shirt giving him access to her collar bone. His other hand pulled up the bottom of it bunching it in the middle of her chest before joining his second hand and pulling the shirt up and off her altogether. Immediately, his mouth found an already hardened nipple, taking it between his teeth and letting his tongue sooth over where he was biting. The groan she bit back made him feel hard in his jeans.

He switched from one breast to another, giving it the same treatment while his hands trailed south meeting at the top of her leggings, fingers creeping just a centimetre under the band. Her breathing hitched and her hips bucked involuntarily off the bed. He grinned up at her, before place one last kiss on her chest and venturing further down. His kisses left a hot, wet trail along the centre of her stomach, stopping at the waist band of her leggings where his fingers were already latched waiting for the signal from his brain to pull. He gave it and now she was left lying in front of him with just a thin pair of lacy black panties. He exhaled loudly but in staggered breath. He knew they'd be black, he just knew it. He was going to die right now of happiness.

"Castle? Are you going to watch me all night?" she said in a sultry tone that made the already painful bulge in his jeans strain even more.

"Probably, yes," he admitted before trailing his hands up the outside of her thighs and back down. She squirmed under his touch as he ran the back of his hands up the inside of her thighs, stopping short of where she wanted them. Instead, he bent down and placed a soft chaste just where her clit was, under the fabric, drawing a strangled moan from her. He kissed her again and her hips bucked. He grinned and this time kissed her, letting his tongue dart out once, twice, against the fabric resting against her.

"Oh God, Castle…" she moaned and his breath against her centre threatened to drive her prematurely over the edge.

"Call me Rick," he whispered against her, his fingers latching onto the sides of the last scrap of clothing she wore. She closed her eyes, only barely realising he'd sat something.

"What did you say?" she asked, gasping as her panties were whipped away from her body only to be replaced by two of his fingers, softly applying pressure in all the right places. She could feel his breath on her bareness and it turned her on to no end.

"I said, call me Rick," he offered a little louder, his tongue tapping off of her as he spoke and she swallowed hard, nodding her head. She tested out the name.

"Rick…" she said softly.

"Very good. Remember it," he added before running his tongue along her centre, right up to her clit where he brought his lips together and caught her softly between his teeth.

"Oh my God…" she whimpered above him and he grinned. He repeated the move three more times until she was squirming against his face, her hands wrapped in the sheets, she was sure she'd ripped one with her nails. When he slipped two fingers inside of her and wrapped his tongue and lips around her clit she couldn't even scream she was so blindsided by him. Her vision went to a white-out and her whole body convulsed violently beneath him but he still continued his ministrations. When finally he stopped and allowed her to come back to earth, she realised that she was drenched in sweat and he was lying next to her, still fully clothed, smiling down at her. She groaned at the set up.

"Couldn't you have at least taken off your shirt?" she moaned and he grinned as he sat up, going for his buttons.

"Wanted to fulfil a dream of pleasuring a hot, naked girl while remaining fully clothed. I just need to text Espo and tell him to take it off my bucket list…" he joked but didn't get a chance to continue. Two arms had snaked around his waist from behind and were undoing first his belt buckle and then his jeans. He bit his lip and counted to 20, then to 40. Even the thought of Beckett's hands near him brought him close to coming.

He slid his shirt off his back and immediately felt her lips on the back of his neck, drawing a shiver from him. There was something about his spine being kissed that turned him on. How did she know that? Was it a luck guess? His thoughts dissipated when he heard his zipper opening and he stood up to shrug the jeans over his hips. As he turned back to her, in just his boxers he saw her eyes glide over his form and suddenly he felt conscious. He was big and broad but he'd let a few pounds pack up since her shooting and he would admit himself that he was a bit podgy around the middle – nothing too substantial but he knew it was there. She reached out, tugging on the waistband of his boxers and pulling him down on top of her. Beckett obviously had no objections to his body. His chest was hard and toned and his arms were strong and muscular. She found herself quite liking his physique.

Wrapping a leg around his, she pushed at his chest, flipping them over so that she was on top, straddling him, just a thin scrap of expensive silk separating him from her centre. He grinned up at her, his hands going for her hips as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his lips level with her chest which he kissed softly.

"Oh Detective Beckett you are good." He nibbled at her collar bone. She smiled, bringing her hands to his shoulders.

"It's Kate. And you have no idea," she said before pushing his shoulders back down, watching as his head hit the pillow, a grin on his face.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

_So I'm home sick from Uni today – damn Christmas flu and decided I didn't really need to read textbooks, I'd just do this instead._

_I am possibly still evil but I felt this was a good point to trail off. Reviews make me happy. They'll also make me write the next chapter quicker…_


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

Castle had experienced the feeling of having a woman push him down on a bed many times but he had never felt as though he might explode just from the sensation of his head hitting the pillow, coupled with just the knowledge that her thighs were wrapped around his waist.

His hands gripped her thighs as she bent forward to kiss him, her tongue darting out over his bottom lip and he opened his mouth to greet her. He moved to sit up again but she pushed him down, her hand slowly trailing down the front of his chest. He chuckled as he figured out her direction and grinned into her kiss.

When she reached behind her to cup him through his boxers his eyes closed and his mouth fell open. He kept his eyes closed as she slipped her hand under the fabric and slowly drew him out of it, taking him in hand and beginning her ministrations with one long stroke.

"Oh god…" he croaked, flicking his hips up into her grasp. She did it again, slower then faster, and repeated until he barely held the capacity to swallow properly. He came back to his senses when he felt her weight shift over him. His eyes opened and he saw her begin a descent down his body which he wasn't going to let happen. He caught her wrists in his hands and pulled her back up as he sat up. He shook his head at her.

"Not tonight," he said, nipping at her lips. She moved to push at his shoulders again but he stopped her, holding firm this time.

"Castle, you just…"

"Na-uh. Tonight's not about keeping score…" While she figured out what he was saying, he flipped her over so that she lay beneath him, her legs on either side of his. He looked down at her, his hands skimming down her ribcage and she squirmed under his touch. He smiled and looked up at her.

"So…the unflappable Kate Beckett is ticklish. Oh how I'm going to have fun with that…"

She grinned as he trailed feather light touches across her stomach.

"If you so much as touch me in the precinct I will break your arm and you know I could do it…" she said, her hands finding the edge of his boxers and pulling them down. He smirked down at her as she took him in hand again.

"Oh I know you could. But on the upside, maybe the guilt of doing that would be enough to help me to convince you to be my night nurse…" he grinned, sliding a hand up from her knee along her thigh, about to settle himself between her legs when a thought occurred to him. He glanced over at the bedside table.

"Which drawer?"

"What?" she sounded genuinely confused.

"Protection? Unless you've brought me this far to turn around and tell me no. In which _you__'__ll_ need the protection, not me…"

She grinned at that and leaned up to kiss him softly, teasing his lips and tongue with her own. The hand that wasn't holding her thigh to his hip ran up into her hair, pulling her head back gently so he could nibble on her neck and down her collarbone.

"I'm on the pill," she said breathlessly, "and I believe you when you say your playboy persona was a ruse…" she said jokingly. He smiled down at her before stopping all action for a minute. He bit his bottom lip.

"It is, you know. I haven't been with anyone since Gina and that's nearly two years ago. I decided it wasn't worth being with someone if it wasn't you."

There was a silence that, between any other two people, would threaten to derail where they were going. But not them. Beckett simply smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. As their tongues collided, he slid into her causing her to gasp into his mouth and he bit back a moan at the feel of her.

He gave them both a moment to adjust, they kissed and touched and remained completely still until finally he pulled back from her slowly before sliding back in. Her moan made his heart warm. He cradled her neck in his hand and ran his other one up and down her thigh as he continued his actions, at first slow and steady, savouring every moment, slowly building her up towards her release.

"God Rick…" she remembered to use his first name and that made him jerk his hips into her a little harder. She grinned.

"You like it when I say your name? Rick?" she added in a sultry, tongue-around-a-lollipop kind of tone and his hips jerked again in response.

"God yes," he said, picking up the pace and bucking into her hard again when she ran her tongue over his earlobe and whispered 'Rick' into it. When she brought her legs up and locked them around his waist it changed his angle of entry and also his level of control. He groaned as he ground into her and he felt her beginning to convulse beneath him. He upped the speed and she met him thrust for thrust until his vision was sarting to go blurry. He was there. He reached down between them and found her clit with his thumb and worked a slow circular motion around it.

She came undone under his hand, her back arched to such an extent that he thought she would do a backward roll from him. He cradled her neck in his hand as he kissed her neck and shoulders, her ear, cheek and lips. His tongue tasted the sweat that had built up on her chest while she rode out her climax.

Together they collapsed on the bed, his weight pinning her down and she giggled underneath him. He was incapable of moving. He closed his eyes when he felt her hand running through his hair, massaging his scalp. It felt ridiculously good.

"I love you," he said into the pillow. It was muffled but she heard him. Twisting slightly, they turned onto their sides to face each other, him slipping out of her but she pulled him in tight draping a leg over his, their noses touching.

"I love you too," she said, smiling, "It feels like such a relief to actually say it."

He smiled and kissed her softly, his eyes drooping closed as he did. She smiled and let her own close as well, nestled as she was in his arms.

"So, are you still planning on killing Lanie?" he asked sleepily and she smiled.

"No. But there is one thing I have to do…"

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Lanie was just about nodding off to sleep after her long night tending to a dead body when her phone beeped. She sighed. Here we go. Beckett agonising over what her relationship with Castle was, blah blah blah. She wished those two would get a grip. Her eyes widened when she saw the message.

_Holy freaking wow. You were right. I should have jumped him years ago. Best sex I've ever had._

Lanie grinned.

"Well, what do you know? Beckett finally saw the light about Writer Boy."

Lanie smiled as the person beside her lifted his head to read the message. He grinned at her before speaking in his unmistakeable Latino accent.

"I'd like to see her deny this tomorrow."

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett was lying on his chest when the message came through from Lanie. When she read it, she laughed aloud, waking him up.

"What is it?" he asked and she handed the phone up to him, waited for a second and then heard him laugh too. She sat up looking at him and traced his cheek with her thumb. With that he tossed the phone aside and kissed her again.

Across the room, the phone had landed with the message from Lanie still open.

_I'm happy for you girl. I'm equally happy for me. I just won the pool._

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

_So I think that's the end of it guys. I had an idea for an epilogue which goes back to the format of the first chapter (text messages and such). Let me know if I should tag it on. _


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

_Ok, last chapter on this because I ran out of time and didn't get to get my idea for a Christmas fic out so maybe I still will. It's technically still the Christmas period, right?_

_Anyway, here goes. To avoid confusion, Castle's texts are in bold because, well, he's a bit bold. And Beckett's are underlined. I have no rapier witticism to offer on that one._

_CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE_

Beckett lay on her couch, an empty Chinese takeout carton on the table, and flicked through the channels, pausing every so often to take on what was playing before scoffing and continuing on.

Castle was away, in Florida, on a book tour – apparently he'd missed out Orlando on the last tour because of storm season and his publisher thought it would be good for him to fulfil that fixture on the original tour. What that really meant was that the last Nikki Heat book hadn't sold as well in Florida because it hadn't been publicised quite as well. Castle had moaned to Beckett about having to go one night when they were in bed and she had silenced him the best way she knew how.

He had been keeping in regular contact and had even managed to help solve a part of the case they had closed today by ringing her as she was doing a rerun of all their evidence. She smiled at the memory – it was like he was right there beside her. Except he was actually poolside in Orlando and she was hugging a desk in New York. He'd called her an hour later saying now that she had solved the case she could take some days off and join him for the end of his tour – a suggestion which she graciously denied. She did not need that kind of publicity. She knew she would have to deal with it eventually but everything between them was still so new that she wasn't really ready to be going on Oprah with him just yet.

She sighed as she came back to the beginning of the loop of TV channels. She didn't think that was possible there were so many. But apparently Kate Beckett was one to suspend impossibilities. She picked up her phone, checking the time. It was after eleven. Castle was probably tanked up on wine at some sort of publishing party – he'd told her the schedule was pretty hectic but he'd still been texting and calling frequently enough to let her think that he was just taking a few days off at home in the loft. She smiled and sent the text anyway.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle's hand was sore from signing books. There had been a few, well, more than a few, women who had appealed to him to sign their chests. He'd smiled and shook his head saying 'sorry ladies, I've become a paper only man". That had earned him a few pouts and stares and one woman had actually walked away from him. He frowned but signed the other girls' books before making his way over to the bar, passing by Paula on the way.

She followed him over and nodded at the barman after he'd ordered a scotch. She laid a hand on his arm and he turned to her, eyes wide in a questioning look. He nodded his head in acknowledgement when he saw who it was.

"What's biting your ass Ricky?" she asked as the barman delivered their drinks. He shook his head.

"Nothing. My head's just elsewhere."

"I noticed. No boob-signing, what's gotten into you? Or should I ask, who have you gotten in to?"

Rick turned and looked at her, a smirk playing across his face before he looked away again. Paula didn't miss much. She smiled and turned away from him.

"I'm happy for you Ricky. Long as she keeps inspiring books…" Paula trailed off but Rick knew what she was getting at. She didn't mind what he did as long as it didn't affect his work. He was under no doubts that she had misgivings about the fact that he was dating his muse but she was trusting him not to mess it up. She strolled away, leaving him to his scotch.

He smirked when he felt his iPhone vibrating in his pocket. There were two people that this could be and either one of them gave him great joy – just very different kinds. He unlocked the phone and smiled when he saw Kate's name popping up on the screen. He was so engrossed in the screen that he didn't notice the extremely attractive looking blonde who had stepped up to the bar beside him. He concentrated on the text.

Hey. You're probably being fawned over at a book party right now but…just to say I miss you. And thank you for your help on the case today – helped us crack it in the end. Call me tomorrow. X

Castle grinned and had just hit reply when he felt the hand on his elbow. He looked up at the woman and smiled politely.

"Hi," she said. He nodded. "I love your books," she continued.

"Thank you. It's always nice to meet a fan." It was almost a rehearsed phrase at this stage. He stopped when he felt her edge closer to him.

"I particularly liked the descriptive scenes. Especially in Chapter ten and eleven…"

He smiled politely again, trying to get the point across that he was concentrating on the phone. He could feel her hand rising up his arm and he took a step back.

"I'm sorry, I've got to make a call," he said quickly and as she made a move to follow him he added, "my girlfriend." He watched as her face fell before he took his opportunity to leave through a side door. He was staying in a suite on the eighteenth floor of the hotel and he was relieved when the lift he called was empty.

He took out his phone and began to type a reply back to Beckett.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett smiled when she heard her phone buzz from the bathroom. She spat out the toothpaste she'd been brushing with and rinsed her mouth. Then she washed her hands and headed out to her room, pulling down the bedcovers as she did. She picked up the phone and clicked into his message, chuckling as she read the message.

**Just left. Felt like a cake being ogled by fat kids. Miss you too. What are you wearing?**

She smirked and started to type a reply.

Poor you. Surrounded by beautiful women, however did you cope?

She deliberately didn't answer his question, knowing it would annoy him. His reply came through almost instantly.

**All the poor men's beautiful women pale when compared to you. And you didn't answer my question.**

Beckett smirked at his response and felt her heart warm as she read the message. She really loved this man. Spending the last two months either at his loft or with him at hers only served to magnify how much she loved him. Of course they told each other frequently as well but it was in the way he looked at her, the way his eyes twinkled when he saw her that she saw the love he had for her.

She smiled and typed her return message.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle had stripped down to his boxers and was just climbing into the king sized bed in his suite when the text came through. He smirked and picked up the phone, settling himself against the pillows he had packed up behind him. He'd intended on bailing from the party early and reading a bit but now that the hottest girl in the world was texting him he'd found a far more appealing thing to do before bed.

He smiled as he read the message.

No I didn't. And don't think your sweet talk will get you anywhere. But since you asked so nicely….black lace panties and that black shirt you left at my apartment last week.

He groaned and, not for the first time, wished she was there with him so he could show her exactly how much he missed her. He typed a reply.

**That's it. I'm getting a flight home tomorrow. It had to be black didn't it? There aren't enough words to say how sexy you are in black.**

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Beckett had settled down into the bed when the next response came through and she smiled warmly at the message. The shirt she was wearing did belong to him and she could smell him off the fabric. It was glorious but a poor substitute for actually having him there next to her.

I like you in black but the shirt smells of you so it's helping me sleep while you're away. And because you love the black so much, I'll make sure that I'm wearing it…and nothing else….when you get home.

She curled down into the bed after she'd pressed send. Her eyes were getting heavy and she could feel sleep trying to take over. She turned onto her side and put the phone on the pillow next to her. She had almost drifted off when the text came through from him.

**What a beautiful image. Anyway, I'm sure, knowing you, that you were up at 6am this morning and are close to crashing on me so I am going to say sweet dreams. Or, if you prefer, dirty dreams about me. I love you and I'll call you tomorrow.**

She smiled sleepily at his message and quickly keyed in a response. It was amazing how in tune with her that he was. He knew her so well that he knew she had neglected her sleep pattern for the last three days. She couldn't wait until he got home.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

Castle's eyes were closed when the message came through and only the vibration through the pillow woke him. He smiled when he clicked into it.

Might already be having dirty thoughts – figure I'd have to start early to keep up with yours. Love you. Goodnight.

With that, he turned over, switching off the bedside lamp and nodded off to sleep, thoughts of his girlfriend rife in his head.

CASTLE CASTLE CASTLE

_So there it is guys, the end of the fic. Hope everyone liked it. Reviews tailed off near the end but all in all really happy with the response it got._

_Happy Christmas all! I'll hopefully have my Xmas fic up soon.  
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